Kate Middleton chose an elegant green Emilia Wickstead dress for Prince George’s first day at Eton College on Tuesday.
The Princess of Wales paired the bespoke design with chocolate-brown suede pumps and a chunky gold necklace for the significant family milestone. (Full fashion details below. Skip down.)
The 13-year-old arrived at the historic boarding school in Berkshire with his parents, where they were welcomed by Eton’s headmaster, Simon Henderson, and provost, Sir Nicholas Coleridge.
The rain didn’t dampen spirits as the trio walked across the school grounds, George giggling as William had a mishap with his umbrella.
The future king’s black brolly wouldn’t open, turning itself inside out. In the end, he had to give up on the contraption.
George has moved to Eton after attending Lambrook School near Ascot with his younger siblings, Princess Charlotte and Prince Louis. On their first day in 2022:
The Prince’s choice of school sees him follow directly in his father’s footsteps. William attended Eton between 1995 and 2000.
William was 13 when he started at Eton in 1995—31 years ago—arriving for his own first day with Princess Diana, the then-Prince Charles, and his brother Prince Harry. Here’s a reminder of that day:
To mark Prince George’s first day at Eton, the Palace released three new portraits snapped by one of the family’s trusted photographers, Matt Porteous. In the pictures, George is wearing the iconic Eton uniform.
Here’s the second photograph:
And the third:
Doesn’t he look so smart!
Now let’s rewind ten years to his first day at nursery in 2016—aww! A bit cliché, but I really do remember this like it was yesterday!
And again—a picture from his first day of primary school in 2017. Where has the time gone?
(Longtime readers will remember Kate was pregnant with Charlotte at the time and was too ill to join William and George.)
Let’s look at the outfit Kate chose for George’s first day at Eton.
Kate’s outfit:
The Princess opted for a polished, autumnal colour palette—quite fitting as we enter the ‘ber’ months (September, October, November, December).
Let’s do a deep dive into each piece:
The green dress is by Emilia Wickstead. It features a fitted bodice, defined waist, long sleeves, and gently flared A-line skirt.
I like that the rich green dress is just formal enough for the milestone event without veering into overly ceremonial.
The design will be familiar to long-time followers of Kate’s wardrobe. The Princess first wore the style in November 2023, to welcome Crown Princess Victoria and Prince Daniel of Sweden to Windsor Castle (below).
On that occasion, it was a petrol blue/teal colour. Today’s dress is definitely a deeper shade of green.
As far as I understand, both dresses are bespoke, created for Kate. Which means they’re not available to buy ‘off the rack’. Similar dresses retail on the designer’s website for just under £2,000 GBP / $2,700 USD.
The Princess wore a similar dress around a decade ago (she had it in three different colours). Wickstead did release the garment publicly (aptly named the ‘Kate’). Here’s Kate wearing it green to the Anna Freud Center in 2019.
She owns it in lilac and navy too.
Emilia Wickstead is firmly established as one of Kate’s go-to designers. The Princess has worn the New Zealand-born, London-based designer since the early years of her royal career, choosing her sharply tailored dresses, coats and separates for everything from overseas tours to state occasions and Wimbledon.
Wickstead is particularly known for polished silhouettes, strong colour and beautiful tailoring, making the label a natural fit for Catherine’s royal wardrobe.
Kate paired the dress with a pair of chocolate-brown suede pumps.
At first, I assumed they were the Gianvito Rossi 85 pumps she debuted earlier this year (below, top), but I think those are too light. The shoe does come in a darker shade of brown too (below, bottom).
Susan from WhatKateWore.com believes Kate could be wearing the Russell & Bromley ‘PinPoint’ pumps she’s owned for around a decade. It’s certainly possible.
Kate debuted the heels at an engagement in 2016 and has only worn them a handful of times in public so far.
I cannot confirm which pair she wore. Either way, the chocolate shade worked particularly well with the deep green of the dress, giving the outfit a rich, earthy, early autumn feel.
The Pinpoint shoes are no longer available. Russell and Bromley—which was founded in London in 1973—went into administration in 2025 and was bought by the high street chain Next earlier this year.
The Gianvito Rossi 85 in the darker brown RRPs for £710—but it’s only available in limited sizes. The lighter brown pair costs the same amount, with more sizes available.
Let’s look at Kate’s necklace now. I love this piece—the chunky gold chain gives the Princess’s outfit a bolder style touch without being overly dramatic.
It’s the ‘Portrait’ necklace by Laura Lombardi, made from 14k gold-plated brass and secured with an oversized toggle fastening. The chunky gold chain is constructed from interlocking round and oval links.
Kate always wears the clasp at the back rather than displaying it at the front (how the designer styles it on her website).
The Portrait necklace currently costs £145 directly from Laura Lombardi and is available in 18- and 20-inch lengths.
Kate debuted the necklace during a visit to Boston in December 2022, wearing it with her vintage blue Chanel blazer to watch a Boston Celtics game. She brought it back for a visit to a Yorkshire textile mill (below) in September 2023 and again with a blue suit at the V&A East Storehouse in June 2025.
Laura Lombardi is a New York-based jewellery designer known for chunky, sculptural pieces made using recycled and repurposed materials.
Kate owns at least one other piece from the label, the statement Luisa heart necklace.
Let’s finish with Kate’s earrings now; they’re by Cartier. The ‘Trinity Classic Model’ earrings.
Each earring comprises three intertwined bands of 18-carat white, yellow and rose gold, a design based on Cartier’s iconic Trinity motif, which dates back to 1924. The three different shades of gold have become one of the French jewellery house’s most recognisable signatures.
The Classic Model earrings currently retail for £3200 at Cartier, although they are listed as unavailable to purchase online at the time of writing.
Kate debuted this particular pair during her visit to the Royal Marsden Hospital in January 2025. They quickly became a regular fixture in her jewellery rotation. She’s been seen wearing them to Wimbledon, at the Women’s Rugby World Cup, on Christmas Day, etc.
The Princess has worn several items from Cartier’s Trinity collection over the years, including necklaces and two other pairs of earrings.
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